Tidbits

[Guest]

Last weekend at the anticoagulation meetings, I learned:

1. Roche did not bring out the new CoaguChek strips with the sensitivity index of 1 because they were less accurate than the current stips with an index of 2 when they were used on people with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

2. Health-care economics experts were expecting that Exanta would be brought on the market at a price of $30 to $35 per day.

 

[catwoman]

Al:

Translate: antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

Wow!!!! $30 to $35 per day. That isn't for long-term AC use... Wonder how many insurance companies would pay for that when warfarin is much cheaper??

Last weekend at the anticoagulation meetings, I learned:

1. Roche did not bring out the new CoaguChek strips with the sensitivity index of 1 because they were less accurate than the current stips with an index of 2 when they were used on people with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

2. Health-care economics experts were expecting that Exanta would be brought on the market at a price of $30 to $35 per day.

 

[Guest]

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is a condition that will make you glad that you "only" have a mechanical heart valve.

The walls of the blood vessels are phospholipid surfaces. To keep your blood from clotting when it is not supposed to, you have phospholipid antibodies in your blood. People who have this condition have stuff in their blood that counteracts the antibodies. Therefore, they are very likely to develop clots. These clots can oiccur in any artery or vein at any time. It happens mostly to young women. I've seen people who had heart attacks at age 10, strokes while in their teens, blood clots in the eyes that caused loss of vision to the point that they cannot tell light from dark (one 32 YO is having her eye removed because it is so painful.) The PT/INR test is innacurate for them so they never know how anticoagulated they are, but it is the best test available. Warfarin doesn't protect very well, but it is the best oral medication. Many have to get two Lovenox injections daily for life.